The present invention relates to invalid supporting frames and, more particularly, to a removable flexible material seat adapted for use on invalid supporting devices, such as walkers.
Various portable supporting frames are known which enable or assist handicapped, invalid, or infirm persons to walk. These frames, or walkers, assist a person who has difficulty in walking to keep his or her balance and they also enable part of the invalid's weight to be supported by his or her arms. The prior art is replete with a variety of such walkers, most of which have similar operation and construction, with minor differences in configuration and dimension.
It is also known to provide walkers with a seating arrangement so that if the user should become tired, he or she will have a seat readily available. It will be appreciated that many invalid persons become tired quite easily and it is important that such persons not overexert themselves.
One approach to a walker seat is described in U.S Pat. No. 4,621,804, issued to Mueller on Nov. 11, 1986. The Mueller patent discloses a walker having a frame extending around three sides, and a closure bar to selectively close the fourth side. A removable seat is attached between opposite sides of the frame so the user is surrounded on four sides by the frame. The user straddles the seat when he or she desires a rest. Unfortunately, the straddling position is difficult for an invalid to get into and out of. To make it easier for the invalid to enter and exit the walker, the seat is removable from at least one side. However, the attachments and height adjustments for the seat include fastenings which are relatively small, requiring dexterity to handle and make workable. The persons who use walkers, such as the elderly, infirm, handicapped, and disabled, tend to have particular difficulty with the dexterity required to handle the small fastenings disclosed in the Mueller patent, leaving the user unable to remove, attach, or adjust the seat without help.
Another walker seating arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. 3,993,349, issued to Neufeld et al on Nov. 23, 1976. The Neufeld patent discloses a walker having a temporary seat constructed from a sling of canvas or other flexible material. The seat, which is quite narrow, has a loop formed at each end so that each end can be supported by a T-shaped bar. The upper end of each T-shaped bar is bent so that the bar can engage in a specially designed metal block. The construction taught by the patent requires specialized metal parts which increase the cost of the seat arrangement. In addition, carrying the seat upon the person when not in use would be cumbersome since the metal T-shaped members can not be folded. Finally, the seat taught by this patent distributes the weight of the invalid over a relatively small area of the body, which can cause discomfort and insecurity.
One patent which tries to overcome the problems associated with folding cumbersome seats is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,198, issued to Brearley on Nov. 15, 1983. The seat in the Brearley patent is a rectangular, foldable sheet of material, which can be detached and folded when not in use. The seat is mounted to the walker frame on four detachably connected hooks using ordinary hose clamps. This requires that the user have special tools and keep track of extra pieces when detaching or attaching the seat.
It is seen then that there exists a need for a removable walker seat which overcomes the problems associated with existing seats, by being easily attachable and detachable for persons having limited dexterity, is easily folded and transported when not in use, and consists of a one piece construction, eliminating special tools and extra pieces.